Watch: Colbert’s Touching Tribute to Maurice Sendak

Stephen Colbert evidently enjoyed a special rapport with famed children’s book author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, who died Tuesday at age 83.

Colbert interviewed Sendak earlier this year, and even persuaded the author of “Where the Wild Things Are” and other classics to approve a tongue-in-cheek endorsement on the cover of Colbert’s new children’s book.

By coincidence, Colbert’s book — titled “I am a Pole (and So Can You!)” — was released Tuesday, the same day Sendak died in Connecticut. Colbert noted the coincidence and then displayed the book on “The Colbert Report” Tuesday night on Comedy Central. He noted the words on the cover attributed to Sendak: “The sad thing is, I like it. — Maurice Sendak.”

Colbert then introduced a piece of video in which he was seen interviewing Sendak in what looked like Sendak’s home. It is a great piece — which you can see, above — and we highly recommend you watch it.